2 June 2022
Shoprite, in partnership with the Department of Forestry Fisheries and the Environment’s Working on Fire programme, hosted six fire safety workshops for Early Childhood Development (ECD) educators to create fire resilient communities.
These workshops – held between 25 May and 9 June 2022 across six provinces including KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, North West and the Free State – take fire safety education directly to daycare centres and equip educators with the necessary skills to use and teach their colleagues and learners about fire safety at their centres.
Facilitated by Working on Fire (WOF), the educators were taught practical fire safety and prevention skills such as how to identify fire hazards, prepare for fire season, extinguish several types of fires, practice fire drills, establish fire escape plans for their centres and successfully evacuate during a fire, as well as how to treat burn wounds while waiting for professional help.
"We are committed to building the resilience of the communities in which we trade, and these workshops will equip educators to mitigate against fire hazards. It is another way in which Shoprite supports early childhood development centres to provide the best possible care for children from vulnerable communities."
- Judy Maluleka, CSI Manager for the Shoprite Group
Shoprite invests in nutrition and educational resources for children at ECD centres across South Africa as well as skills training for the practitioners. In the last financial year, Shoprite’s support of 103 ECD’s benefited 5 062 children and 291 837 nutritionally balanced meals were served to children in supported ECD centres.
Jabulile Shabalala, Working On Fire Facilitator
WOF has been working with pre-schools in fire-prone areas since 2015 and its workshops play a key role in fire prevention.
“We aim to equip educators with practical knowledge to implement at their various daycare centres and also to facilitate information-sharing on fire safety and prevention, which in turn also educates families and the broader community on these matters.”
- Doreen Makoni, Head of Department in Fire Awareness Training at WOF
Maria Majete from Kulanuhlanganani ECD in Limpopo is one of the educators who completed the training: “We learnt what we can do to prevent fires at home and at our centres. We can now affect the lives of others, by sharing our knowledge and skills.”